My invention relates to a portable device which is positioned under an animal while it defecates. The animal waste falls directly into a bag and is captured within without the person bending towards the ground, a litter box, or the collected waste. More particularly, my invention relates to a portable device fashioned as a scoop with a long handle. When an animal, such as a dog, defecates the scoop portion is slipped beneath the animal's posterior to hold the falling waste. The waste lands within a bag which wraps the curved scoop. The bag is then removed from the scoop portion in a manner which encloses the waste within the bag. The waste retrieval occurs without the person bending towards the ground, the person need not touch the waste, and the device need not be cleaned after every use.
The prior art field of devices for retrieval of animal waste discloses that these devices do not prevent the person from bending towards the ground or litter box, to retrieve the waste. The person must also carry the device in one hand, which leaves only one hand free for a leashed pet, or perhaps more than one animal. These two problems cause sufficient inconvenience and discomfort, so pet owners avoid these devices with which the tiresome process of “walking the dog” becomes more burdensome.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D483,159 S (Boyd) discloses an ornamental design for an animal waste scoop and bag combination. U.S. Design Pat. No. 316,315 (Elrod) discloses an ornamental design for an animal waste scoop, but there is no removable bag component.
U.S. Des. Pat. 418,261 (Betts et al.) also discloses an ornamental design for a scoop for dog waste. U.S. Design Pat. 262,943 (Schadler) discloses an ornamental design for a combined scoop and container for animal waste. There is no handle or detachable bag. None of the above designs include an elongated handle or removable bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,469 (Ockerman) discloses a circular scoop with a securing ring attached to a handle for manual rotation of the securing ring with a support hoop. A waste bag is positioned upon the support hoop so that the waste bag remains open during use. The waste bag has a lower pouch portion and an upper neck portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,036 (Ring) discloses an animal waste scoop with a handle and shovel portion containing spaced fingers. The scoop is used with a disposable bag with spaced fingers which fit over the respective shovel fingers. The user pulls the bag over the shovel, grips the handle beneath the open end of the bag, and positions the shovel beneath the solid waste. The shovel is lifted so the waste remains on top of the fingers. The user then inverts the bag to remove it from the shovel and retain the waste within the bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,762 (Ring) discloses an animal waste assembly with an open ended container. A plastic bag with a closed end and an open end, and of a greater length than the container, inserts into the container as a liner. An integral exterior bag portion folds over the container exterior while it also covers the user's hand which holds the container. Waste is scooped into the bag over the open container end while the container and the person's hand are shielded by the bag. The bag's open end is then folded and inserted into the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,111 (Bohn) discloses a device which separates animal waste from unsoiled pet litter. The handle contains a grate and the grate has cross members with intervening spaces. The cross members retain animal waste while the intervening spaces allow unsoiled litter to pass between. U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,055 (Kohn) also discloses a scoop for removing solid animal waste from granular material such as litter. It includes a receptacle with apertures so that solid animal waste cannot fall within, although granular particulars are sufficiently small to pass through.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,575 (Parvaresh) discloses a scoop with an elongated handle and a flat tray with a center slot at the lower end. There is also a disposable plastic bag with a closed end. The closed end is inserted into a center slot in the flat tray with the open end flattened, so that waste is deposited into the disposable plastic bag. The disposable plastic bag is then positioned under the dog. The dog deposits waste directly into the bag and the user pulls upon attached strings to seal the bag. There is also a rake tool to push the waste over the tray and into the plastic bag if the waste missed the bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,148 (Brauatovich) discloses a flat folded configuration which the user folds into a z-shape with a cardboard stiffener. The folded device opens to a scoop configuration and a separate cardboard segment becomes a paddle which pushes waste into the scoop. Side flaps move fold over the top panel to seal the enclosed waste, and a rubber band retains the closed position of the device after use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,560 (Lordi) discloses a disposable waste scoop and scraper, but there is no removable attachable bag. U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,777 (Carns) discloses a device with an elongated handle and two pivoting scoop-shaped jaws which form a mouth. Each jaw has an adhesive pad for a cellophane sheet across the mouth and jaws, and which cellophane sheet holds animal waste. There is also a pull rod through the handle for spreading the jaws.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,260 (Carrington) discloses a leash holder scoop with a plastic disposable bag to position beneath a pet. The bag is reversibly secured to a bent tube attached to a handle with an attached pivoting leash latch. The bag holder is a narrow round sleeve with a flat segment which holds elastic fitting at the top of the bag and against the sleeve.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,015 (Jefferson) discloses two interfitting boxes made of biodegradable cardboard. The boxes are collapsible and can be carried in a pocket. Each box has an opening which is shaped as a scoop for the feces. The boxes then slide into each other to enclose the feces, and the device is then carried to a refuse container.